


Broken Yet Whole

by Skye_Willows



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Developing Friendships, Family Feels, Found Family, Gen, Mild Angst, Therapy, Therapy Groups
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26309506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Willows/pseuds/Skye_Willows
Summary: Following a suggestion from Markus, Connor ends up heading towards a support group to help find some peace surrounding his personal anxieties - only to find the prime candidates responsible, Nines and Sixty, are also a part of the same group.Little does Connor know, he's not the only one weighed down by personal troubles...and trying to bridge the gap could lead to some unexpected changes.
Relationships: Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60, Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & North, CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hank Anderson & Connor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 52
Collections: DBHBB





	Broken Yet Whole

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, time for another Big Bang fic!
> 
> This time I was fortunate enough to work with both [Jules](https://twitter.com/pixelagora) and Nolf! They both did such amazing artwork and I'm floored. Please feel free to scream and show them some support!
> 
> We've got a journey exploring the troubled and tense relationship between the three RKs this time! It was great fun to navigate their journey and I hope you all enjoy!

_“Come on, Connor. If you’re gonna nag at me to get therapy for all my shit, you’ve gotta practice what you preach. You need to talk to someone too. Didn’t you say that there were android support groups cropping up? Check it out and if it doesn’t work for ya, I’m sure there’s other options.”_

Hank’s voice was still looping through Connor’s head as he stared at the building ahead of him. Of course there were other options, and right now Connor wished that he’d decided to take up one of those alternatives. How could he be worried about walking through a front door? It was just an inanimate object.

What lay **beyond** that, however, was what was giving Connor so many problems.

On a whim he’d asked Markus about whether there were any android support groups that might accept him – Connor was well aware that his reputation as the former deviant hunter made him persona non grata in many android circles. He didn’t want his presence to be counter-productive to others that went for help, so he’d swallowed his pride and hoped Markus could point him in a direction to go.

 **_“Actually, I know one place that would be perfect for you,”_ ** the android leader had said. **_“Here’s the address. You know the pair that run it and I’m sure you’ll be welcome there. They might be a little surprised but they wouldn’t turn you away.”_ **

So here Connor was, staring at a door that he was suddenly having lots of issues with. He really hated emotions sometimes, despite everything else that he’d discovered. 

…Ten minutes later he was beginning to feel like a bit of an idiot. Why was he **still** having concerns with opening the door and being honest about his feelings? It wasn’t as if he was about to walk into a room with ten suspects preparing to shoot anything that moved.

Though at that moment he would prefer that option when his alternative was to pour out his insecurities to a complete stranger, leaving himself open to their judgement.

“Connor?” Said android spun at the voicing of his name and he was stunned to come face-to-face with Nines. He couldn’t quite believe that he was meeting the RK900 out here of all places – it didn’t help that Nines was arguably part of the problem that he was looking to resolve by attending this support group. “Are you joining us today?”

That caused Connor to stare at Nines in surprise. “Us?” he wondered, suddenly curious as to whether Nines was maybe here for the same reason he was. “I’m looking for an android support group that has been set up here. What about you?”

Nines just smiled and opened the door for Connor, gesturing for him to go inside. “As am I. If you wish, I can introduce you to a few people – you won’t need any introductions with the ones who run the group however.”

Connor remembered that Markus had said the same thing and he couldn’t help but worry if his reputation might be an issue after all. “That doesn’t fill me with confidence,” the RK800 murmured while walking inside. He waited for Nines to join him and allowed the RK900 to lead the way instead. Nines at least knew where he was going.

Contrary to what Connor had been expecting, after they went through various corridors still under renovation they came to a large indoor garden. There were trees spiralling up towards the vast glass ceiling as other plants and bushes sat around a pond in the centre of the room. It almost reminded Connor of the Zen Garden, but this was nowhere near as thematic. Instead it was a combination of various local flora and fauna, though in between were other activities that had Connor shocked.

Androids were scattered throughout the entire room doing various activities. Some were knitting, others were reading. A few were just staring up at the glass while one was even lounging under the water in what appeared to be stasis. It was simply a peaceful space, far from what Connor had been thinking he would find there.

Nines spied his surprise and smirked lightly. “This isn’t along the lines of a human support group,” he explained while pushing Connor gently in one direction. “All of the androids here are given space to think and explore their own thoughts, with the security that others are on the same network who can offer a friendly voice if they wish for someone. There are a few androids who are trained in psychology or therapy, but most are others lost and looking for a friend – or even to ensure that they aren’t the only ones who have certain thoughts in their mind.”

Nodding as he absorbed what Nines was telling him, Connor gave him an inquisitive look. “Do you assist or attend this group?” he asked cautiously, to which Nines snorted in amusement. He really had been spending far too much time around Gavin, he was picking up a lot of his awful habits. 

“Both,” Nines explained. “Sometimes I come here for counsel, other times I come to be a listening ear. It depends on the day, really, but I like to spend time here. This place is peaceful rather than the eerie silence of my apartment. Most of my time I am off duty I spend here.”

Part of Connor was saddened to hear that – at least when he finished for the day and went home, he had Hank and Sumo for company. Nines seemingly didn’t have that option. “Do you not meet up with some of the other androids or our work colleagues? You’re a lot more open with them than I am.” While Connor was highly introverted, Nines was a lot more assured of himself. Probably because he didn’t have the mental experiences of the revolution: he was woken up several months later after the worst of everything had passed.

“Rarely,” Nines told Connor while grabbing a tablet on the way past a bench, scrolling through the images it was displaying. Connor noticed that there was music accompanying each image and he was curious as to how that was meant to tie together. “Sometimes I meet Gavin and Tina, other times I meet the other Jericho androids. I’m not the most socially versed, however, and I know that I intimidate many people. Thus I find it a lot less difficult to spend my time here.”

The pair continued around the constructed lake until they reached an open archway at the other side, to which Connor was stunned to see a familiar android walk through from another room. Today really was a day for surprises. At spying Nines and Connor, North smirked lightly and sauntered over. “Well, well, dragged Connor along today, did you Nines?” she snarked, to which Nines picked a bag out of his pocket and threw it at her.

“Actually, I met Connor at the front door, no underhanded tactics on my part,” Nines answered, but Connor was occupied in the same way that their company was. North was starting at the small black bag curiously and she eventually opened it. 

Connor had to fight a small snort when he noticed North was blushing, and she pulled out a small crocheted butterfly, which had a pin at the back. With expectant eyes on her North glowered a little, though there was no intensity behind it given the blush on her cheeks. She clipped it on to her jacket and Nines looked so proud. “You’re such a sap,” North sighed while turning her attention to Connor. “Okay, colour me curious. How come you came down here, Connor? Nines mention it to you and you were intrigued?”

The RK800 recoiled slightly and his expression tightened. “No, actually. I mentioned to Markus that I’ve been having a few…issues, and I needed somewhere to find a little counsel. When I mentioned that my past might be quite the hurdle, he sent me here.”

North’s face morphed into understanding and she smiled. “Don’t worry, no-one’s going to have any wrong ideas about you being a deviant hunter here,” she reassured, to which Connor wondered how she’d hit the nail on the head so easily. “Nobody here is going to give a damn about that and most people are pretty friendly. If they’re open to talking you can see what they are broadcasting on their frequency, and you’ll get to know who are options. We’ll walk you through how the system works, it’ll be a cinch for you.”

Now Connor was highly interested as to how he could be accepted so easily. When North waved them to follow her, Connor gave Nines a suspicious look but the RK900 simply urged Connor to follow her with a flick of his eyes. Sighing, Connor went on again and then froze when he heard yet another familiar voice – or course another one of his demons would be here.

“Where the fuck did you get to? Were you just leaving me to deal with all this shit that was delivered?” echoed through a voice almost identical to Connor’s own and he hesitated for a split second before entering – which Nines noticed but didn’t comment on.

Smiling away, North picked up another box and tossed it at the other android’s head after she read the contents weren’t fragile, to which he snarled at her and she just flipped him off. “Lighten up, Six,” she teased while finding some more plants and moving them to the other end of the room. “I’m not the one who ordered all of this in a rush and didn’t notice they added an extra ‘0’ at the end of the quantity!” she howled while taking yet more boxes.

Connor watched in astonishment as Sixty grabbed a knife and threw it at her, but North simply caught it and slipped it into a holder on her thigh. “Hey, thanks!” she chirped with a wink. “That’ll make my life a hell of a lot easier with unpacking all of this! You got any more of my daggers over there that you want to toss back?”

“I might upgrade to a gun next time,” Sixty said sourly, but then stopped abruptly when he saw who else was in the room. “The fuck, North?! Why’d you bring Connor and Nines in here, bitch?!”

 _“Cause you need to not be a whiny fuck and talk to them, Sixty!”_ North called through. “ _Don’t make me come back there and mess with your skin tones again if you can’t control your temper!”_

Sixty muttered under his breath and glared at the other two, but Nines chuckled and rolled his eyes at the display. “Ignore him, Connor,” Nines stated while walking through and taking some of the plants himself. “As you know his repairs weren’t seamless and Sixty has difficulty expressing anything other than anger or sarcasm. That’s not necessarily what he mean, but it’s what happens.”

“Fuck off, Nines,” Sixty grumbled while rolling his eyes. His look then softened a little at seeing Connor was a bit frozen on the spot. “What are you doing here anyway, Connor? Did Nines say something and you decided to make sure I wasn’t causing havoc?”

Connor contemplated what to say for a moment before Nines piped up again. “I’m innocent in all this, despite what you and North assumed,” Nines informed him. “I met Connor at the front door – he’s here to join the support network.”

Now Sixty was the one who was astonished and he gave Connor a suspicious look. “Why the hell would you want to join the support group?” he asked bitingly. “You don’t need anything here.”

This felt like an all too familiar conversation. Not long after Sixty was first repaired by Jericho there had been a discussion around whether he needed someone to watch him given that the work done had left Sixty with several…malfunctions. He had very little control of his reactions and they were mostly anger based – it had actually taken people a lot time to realise that Sixty wasn’t necessarily a constant asshole. That was part of the consequences from where he’d been shot: part of his personality matrix was permanently damaged. 

He had however been pretty bitter when compared next to Connor, so there had been some unkind words traded between the two of them months ago. Connor had pointed out that Sixty had been rather unapologetic for what he had done during the revolution while Sixty snapped at least Connor had anything he could want, while Sixty had been left permanently damaged. It had stung…and that guilt over not resolving things with Sixty was part of the reason Connor was there now.

It was weird…He’d heard from Nines that Sixty was doing well but Connor hadn’t known that he was here, helping to run this support network (with North of all people). That was far from what he’d expected, and that wasn’t the only surprise. Sixty’s appearance couldn’t be much more different from Connor’s if he’d tried. Hair with blonde and red highlights through the brown, eyes which had been switched to green from brown, and a black shirt with some **very** bright blue jeans. Connor hadn’t strayed far from his programmed style, sticking to mostly work attire, but Sixty had completely branched out.

That combined with glowing tattoos, an android trend that had kind of taken off recently, made him look startlingly different. Connor was actually envious of the delicate vine work that climbed up Sixty’s arm. Tattoos for androids weren’t the same as they were for humans. Rather than being inked or permanently marked, androids had the code of their synthskin rewritten slightly to have the pattern changed wherever the tattoos was meant to be and light augmentation done to their chassis. It meant that Sixty’s right arm had what looked like vines and stems of flowers climbing up his arm with a mixture of green and white light shining out.

Despite his damaged matrix, Sixty seemed to have a lot more personality than Connor. That just added to Connor’s confusion when it came to his emotions surrounding Sixty.

“I came for someone to talk to,” Connor said quietly. “I still have…lingering thoughts surrounding a few issues and I was hoping for a listening ear. My past has a bad habit of getting in the way and prejudicing others though. When Markus mentioned this might be somewhere I could go…” Sixty’s stance softened again. “I don’t want to cause any trouble or get into any fights, I was simply looking for somewhere that I could-”

“Be honest? Get everything out of your head and try to figure out what’s wrong with you? Yeah, I get that,” Sixty sighed while ruffling his hair, making it even crazier in style. “You don’t have to worry about getting chased out of here with cries of ‘deviant hunter!’ after you, that was just me for the first week,” he joked, which had Connor laughing a little. “I’m a bit busy right now though, so I’ll have to leave you in North’s hands. Please, I’m fucking begging you, do not give her any more ammunition to tease me. I promise to try and be less of an asshole if you do.”

Despite his own slight awkwardness Connor smiled. “It’s highly tempting, so I can’t afford to promise that I’m afraid.”

Sixty scoffed at him with a smirk. “Always knew you were a dickhead, you’ll fit right in with everyone else. You can always ask Nines how all of this shit works if you want to, or give me a hand trying to unbury myself from all of these stupid ass plants…”

“How did you even manage this? Was North kidding earlier?” Connor chucked while grabbing a box. 

“She was kidding…but she doesn’t know that,” Sixty groaned. “I actually added two extra ‘0s’ but this is only part of the delivery, she doesn’t know that yet. For fuck’s sake do not tell her, I’m going to try and say the company fucked up with the second zero

“Yes, that seems much more believable than the deviant android got his numbers mixed up,” Connor drawled. “How did you even manage that?”

“I…got distracted. As North often takes advantage of, I’m rather prone to having my attention wander if there’s music playing. She’s made a game of sending me music clips to see how long I can get sucked into a tune and messing with me while I’m indisposed,” the other RK800 huffed. “Since this error has cost rather a lot of money, maybe not mention this one?”

Connor just chuckled as he helped Sixty with shifting the plants. He probably wouldn’t say anything…but he enjoyed having the blackmail material.

* * *

The support centre became a new haven for Connor very quickly, much to his surprise. As predicted, no-one thought twice about Connor’s presence and he soon found out he shared much with those who were a part of **_Symphony_ **, as the group had become known. Most of the androids were struggling with mental issues, everyone there was in the same boat.

Whatever your former programming, you weren’t judged. No matter your thoughts and struggles, you could find someone to listen. It was a place that gave the freedom to just…let your mind wander and realise that even if everyone there was at least a little broken, they came together to make something wondrous.

Connor began to help with the development of the premises, much to North’s secret delight. She quickly roped Connor into her schemes with pranking Sixty, much to the other RK800’s disgust. It turned out that Sixty had been playing down his…distraction issues, as he’d put it. When Connor found out the reason though, it sickened him a little.

He’d known that Sixty couldn’t be fully repaired, but Connor hadn't; he was actually missing several key processors. Sixty could completely space out with the right triggers, to the point that it left the other android feeling vulnerable.

Rather than fixate on them as a weakness though, North had made a point of using them to keep Sixty busy. Her ‘pranks’ were actually a way to show Sixty that she adored him despite his supposed defectiveness, and that it didn’t stop him from being able to overcome any challenge.

Whatever she left him as a mess to clear up after her endeavours, it gave Sixty and outlet and focus. The worst thing for him was to be left to his own mind, apparently. He was haunted by his brief memories from the revolution and by his first weeks alive, alone and broken.

Connor was saddened but comforted by this knowledge at the same time. Even now he couldn’t get the reminders of what Sixty had been for that brief spell during the revolution out of his head but seeing him like this…it helped to tear down that image, show Connor that they were actually as lost as each other. Unfortunately Sixty didn’t see it that way in reverse. They might now be on speaking terms more but Sixty still wasn’t the friendliest towards Connor.

A cough from behind Connor caught his attention from his reminiscing on the edge of the pond and he was surprised to find Nines behind him with a relaxed smirk, eyeing up the fishing rod in Connor’s hands. “Trying your hand at fishing now, are you?” Nines commented while looking out at the fish in the water.

“I’m making my way around all of the different activities, seeing what suits me best for personal reflection,” Connor replied while turning his gaze back to the water. He couldn’t help but scowl when he noticed yet another fish sniff at the bait before swimming away. That had happened so often it was bordering on infuriating. How was this meant to be relaxing? 

Nines snorted in amusement as he spied Connor’s expression. “Why do I get the feeling that fishing doesn’t really agree with you?” he chuckled with a smile. 

“I must admit, I am struggling to see the appeal,” he sighed in aggravation. 

“Well there are plenty of other activities. Have you tried playing chess?”

“That’s not fun, that’s just running a program for the best outcome – and with some of the best processors ever made it’s hardly a fair competition.”

The RK900 rolled his eyes. “Gardening?” 

Connor narrowed his eyes at Nines. “I do a lot of that with Sixty but that’s not exactly therapeutic when he won’t speak to me. North is more enjoyable but she’s normally running therapy sessions, so I don’t get the chance for company often.”

“You were knitting last week,” Nines pointed out, to which Connor pulled out the small St Bernard plushie he’d knitted.

“I finished this yesterday, I’ll be taking it to Hank tonight since I’ve now managed to find some glass eyes to include,” Connor admitted with a smile, to which Nines replied with one of his own.

“If you enjoyed that, why don’t you try more items to knit?”

The smile on Connor’s face fell slightly. “I…don’t like to try and use my imagination much as it brings up rogue preconstructions, and many of my memories are not pleasant. That doesn’t help much for inspiration.”

Very uncharacteristically, Nines sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. “You both can be dramatic in your own ways…This feels just like a conversation with Sixty.”

Now Connor scowled properly. “I wouldn’t know, he hardly talks to me.”

Refusing to discuss that right then, Nines just shook his head and offered Connor a hand. “Let me show you what I occupy myself with while I’m here then,” the RK900 offered. “Maybe you can find some more ideas if you’re familiar with what others use as coping mechanisms.”

Connor eyed the hand in suspicion before relenting and accepting the offer of an interface. When he got the request of a full mental interface within a shared mind palace, he accepted hesitantly. 

Once the area loaded, Connor blinked in surprise. Of all things that he’d expected from Nines…this wasn’t it.

The RK900 was sitting in a tree, staring up at what looked like a sky without any light pollution. Which was impossible when there was a low sunset on the edge of the horizon, casting everything in a low orange glow that gave the scene distinct warmth. Stars were passing by overhead in occasional streaks in the sky, while on his lap was a pure white cat that was purring away happily. Connor couldn’t quite believe that **this** was what Nines used to escape.

“I love nature,” Nines explained softly but his voice was inside Connor’s mind, almost as if he didn’t want to disturb the peacefulness of the world around him. “I was made to be a killing machine by CyberLife, they intended for me to take countless lives if ever released. A weapon designed for war and to cause bloodshed. I might be free of my programming now but it-It’s still there, Connor. Like an insidious worm within my systems, it lingers. The thought never is far from my mind that when I’m around humans, I was to be built to be like a bomb. There would be no stopping me if I was unleashed, it’s a constant reminder.

“Here…I’m not among anything that my old programming was written for. The stars, sun, animals…None of that was given a purpose to me before, I didn’t even realise that there was so much to the world until I began to look through the internet and discovered countless images and videos of what exists. This world is something of my own creation, my personal bubble where nothing triggers me,” Nines told him with a tight voice. Hearing something so vulnerable from Nines was deeply saddening to Connor, but it was also something he could relate to.

Despite looking so calm and composed on the outside, Nines definitely had his demons too. Now Connor understood why he attended **_Symphony_ **so often, he was hiding behind a wall like many others.

“Can you teach me how to reshape my mind palace like this?” Connor asked quietly, to which Nines smiled widely.

“I started with a Zen Garden just like you, I don’t see why not. Shall I show you the basics of how to create your own world in this place?”

Connor had never said yes to anything so quickly.

* * *

He’d been at **_Symphony_ **for almost three months when he finally made a breakthrough with Sixty, and it was through the most unintentional of circumstances. 

Once a week the group all linked up to their local cloud network to share their current thoughts and feelings. Not everyone was open to having someone else try to resolve any issues but it was the one rule of **_Symphony_ **– you never hid your true feelings. The network guaranteed total anonymity unless you were approached by someone to talk and accepted their invite(also anonymous), only then was an android able to put a face to a name.

Connor almost always kept himself isolated from the network unless Nines or North was part of the collective for that week. Despite all of the time he’d spent among other androids now he was still terrified for their reactions to learning some of his deeper and more intense feelings. Nines knew Connor struggled and North had become another confidante to him after starting to help with the behind the scenes work of the group. It had become a mutual relationship with Connor learning where her hatred from humans originated. They were both afraid of the opposite species, but sharing their experiences was starting to help with their own insecurities.

Unusually, Connor found someone emanating intense loneliness and a feeling of frustration. That struck very close to home and Connor felt himself reaching out unconsciously, wondering if there was actually a kindred spirit in the group.

What he hadn’t expected was for the connection to break as soon as their identities were revealed, but that split second was enough for Connor to recoil in shock.

Sixty.

He’d never known that Sixty took part in the sessions – he remembered that North had said once that Sixty’s processors weren’t necessarily able to handle the cloud network, it depended on how many people were on it at once – so for the two of them to cross paths so unexpectedly was…

Connor really didn’t know what to do with it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor spied Nines standing from next to him and striding to the back room, beckoning for Connor to follow. The timing was far too coincidental and he went willingly – that glimpse of Sixty’s feelings had left Connor feeling chilled. Sixty had always seemed so assertive and confident in his time at **_Symphony_ **, like the android had found a purpose in helping so many others that considered themselves ‘broken’.

Of course, Connor had learned that many of those who were not only members but helped run the group were also in need of healing. It only made sense that Sixty was one of those too.

Nines led Connor to the main office room determinedly and opened the door. Sixty was focused intensely on a tablet, his synthskin peeled back as he interfaced with the technology, but there was an unmistakable sheen of tears with it. Nines gestured for Connor to wait before he entered and walked towards Sixty, crouching down in front of the other RK800 to meet his eyes.

“You broke off so soon,” Nines stated quietly, to which Sixty sighed aggressively and slammed the tablet down on the table.

“I was careless, I didn’t realise I was on the main network,” he snapped. “I exposed myself.”

“And? What’s so wrong with that?” Nines went on encouragingly.

“Because it was **Connor** , that’s why!”

Connor recoiled at the venom in that statement and his systems ached. The way it was spoken made him feel like there was an ache in his chest.

“Six, Connor’s not a threat to you: you know that. Why was it so bad that he connected with you for a moment, found out that you’re just as lonely as he is?”

Sixty let out a defeated huff before slumping back in his seat. “Connor has a happy life: he has a home, a job and a family. What do I have? A fucking cupboard that I live out of in this place because I don’t have anyone that I can live with and no money! My own head is so fucking glitchy that I’m a danger to myself and everyone around me, and then I have to deal with living in fucking Connor’s shadow! **How can I possibly open myself to him when he has everything I wish I had!** ”

_Fuck._

The revelation was shocking to Connor, he’d never known that Sixty was haunted so deeply by some of the home comforts of Connor’s life. It was true, he did have all of those things….but to Connor they were materialistic. There were a lot of things that Connor didn’t have that he wished he could.

More friends, confidence, assertiveness.

Things that Sixty had.

Nines looked up from where he was knelt in front of Sixty and Connor took that as his cue, walking through to finally announce his presence. “They’re only superficial things though,” he murmured, trying not to flinch when Sixty stared at him with blatant disgust. “You have a lot which I wish I did: acceptance for who you are, a sense of belonging, self-assuredness. I may have a job but many still treat me with blatant disdain for being an android, let alone my role in revolution. 

“You have something I wish I could have: anonymity. I’d give pretty much anything to be invisible and not have my prior actions haunting me,” Connor admitted solemnly.

Through his resentment Sixty paused, turning to look at Nines. The taller android nodded solemnly and offered his hand to Sixty in the offer of an interface, which Sixty took. Connor had a feeling of what Nines was sharing and while part of him was scared at the thought of Sixty knowing just how conflicted Connor’s own feelings were about him, maybe it was something that they both needed.

After spending so long avoiding each other, they might actually need the intervention.

Once it was over and Nines pulled his hand back, Sixty turned to Connor again with suspicious eyes. Connor couldn’t blame him, it was bound to be a surprising revelation. The older RK800 stood and flashed a small smile as he left the room, allowing Sixty time to process what he’d just learned from Nines.

What Connor didn’t expect was for a request for communication to come through just afterwards, and he was couldn’t help but smile a little at the seeing the serial number which popped up.

Nines wasn’t kidding, you really are jealous of a fuck up like me?

You’re hardly a fuck up, Sixty. While you and are very different it’s a good thing, and our personalities aren’t a result of anything other than our own choices. I’m envious of how you’ve built a life for yourself beyond what we were programmed for, I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to do it.

Maybe, but you also like working at the DPD. I’d soon throw myself to the bottom of the river and see how long it would take me to freeze then even set foot in that place. 

Case and point – but look at what you’ve built beyond where you started. Plus I…I still feel that I owe you and apology for not doing more in the aftermath of the revolution. I was scared of you after it came to light that CyberLife had a failsafe within the RK800 line. It was almost like waiting for an axe to come crashing down on my head if I let you too close.

Nines just showed me that, among other things…

Look, Connor, I think we both need to talk a lot but I don’t think either of us is ready for that either. I still don’t have the greatest control over my emotions and my ones connected to you are conflicting to say the least.

The feeling is mutual, Sixty; if you need an outpouring like you did earlier, however…I would be willing to assist. 

…I’ll think about it.

Thanks.

With that the communication broke away but Connor smiled to himself a little as he wandered back to the main hall. 

It might have fractured their relationship and senses of selves a little more today, but Connor had a feeling this was going to transform his dynamic with the other RK800.

* * *

Progress was undeniable, if slow. Connor and Sixty reached out tentatively on occasion, when one of them felt able to be vulnerable with the other. To start with it only lasted for tiny snatches of time before one pulled back, the feelings far too close to their own and causing strife. They found reassurance in others but until they finally managed to resolve their own differences (and accepted them), there was an undeniable tension.

Meanwhile, both were invariably getting closer to Nines. The RK900 had always accepted deviancy out of the three of them – mostly due to the fact he was awoken after the revolution and wasn’t scarred by experiences from it – but was also highly aware of how hard it was to accept that androids were still figuring out who they were. 

In the end, Nines came up with an off the wall idea on how to finally help the pair accept each other a little more.

Connor had taken a week off from the DPD to help out at **_Symphony_ **as they embarked on a large project. The large glass ceiling of the main hall was being swapped out for holographic panels that could project an image. While it was a costly endeavour, it was part of Sixty and North’s vision to help give androids an almost otherworldly escape. It would be tuned so that androids could sync up with the panels and see whatever they wished.

Be it sunshine, a storm, rainbow, snow…whatever an individual androids wished for, they would see it while others would see what they needed or wanted. An element of control that Connor actually empathised with well.

Any way of avoiding a blizzard, even if it was something as **fabricated** as turning it off at will…it was part of the subconscious effect of having the ability to turn at trigger off. 

On the fifth day of the installation, there were a couple of high profile appearances at the group.

Many of the androids were stunned to see Markus appear with a human at his side, but this was a human that was famous among their people for being an ally. The story of how Hank had pushed Connor towards deviancy and was credited by Markus as having worked the foundation which the android leader made the final breakthrough meant that he had a large standing with the androids – not that Hank knew that. 

Connor knew that he would have been terribly embarrassed had that come to light, so he just smiled warmly as a few other androids approached the pair while the RK800s were being winched to the roof so that they could install the panels.

“Oi!” Connor’s attention was snapped back when Sixty whistled on him and he winced apologetically. “Are you trying to keep us up here longer on purpose?!”

“No, you know I hate heights as much as you do,” Connor chuckled nervously as they affixed the set. “We’ve got company.”

Sixty scowled and looked across, to which his eyes widened. “Fuck, why are Markus and the old man here? Did you invite them?”

“I did not…and stop referring to Hank as an old man! He’s not old!” Connor huffed, to which Sixty smirked.

“Fine, middle aged,” he teased. “Still, what did he come down for? You’re off for the week, or did you fuck up with your days off?”

“That’s your trick: I remember the mess you made of the plants my first day here, let alone when you managed to select the wrong date for a replacement of your own arm. **That** was an effort,” Connor laughed, to which Sixty flushed.

“Shut up,” he hissed before looking upwards again, focusing on their task. At least it didn’t end in a shouting match, the teasing was getting easier slowly.

By the time they had reached the floor again, Nines had met both Markus and Hank to speak with them easily. Connor felt a flare of jealousy at seeing how comfortable Nines was in the conversation and was surprised to see how Sixty’s face reflected no doubt the same expression. He sent a quick thought of ‘me too’ along the cloud to Sixty, to which the other RK800 blinked in shock. Before Connor said any more however, he unclipped himself from his harness and joined the discussion.

Hank smiled warmly at seeing him and laughed while shaking his head fondly. “Con, we really need to get you some better clothes for doing fucking construction work. Your work clothes aren’t the best for climbing around the roof.”

“It is comfortable and professional,” Connor argued, which Hank was having none of.

“For fuck’s sake, Connor. You’re on **vacation.** Look like it!”

While Connor huffed in annoyance, Sixty broke out in snickers. Hank’s eyes drifted across to the other RK800 and gestured to Sixty’s appearance. “Look, Sixty’s got the right idea! T-shirt, sturdy pants and boots. By the way, Sixty, you’re looking pretty flash. What’s the story behind the tattoo?”

Sixty was astounded by the compliment and floundered for a second before replying, which had Connor’s attention. “I just felt like it,” he stated with a shrug. “Saw a few other androids were becoming more individual with customisation and this felt right for me. No rhyme or reason to it.”

“I like it, can appreciate some good ink – well, not that it’s ink for androids but you got what I mean,” Hank coughed awkwardly, which had Markus laughing next to him along with Nines. “How the fuck can androids do that anyway?”

“Some clever reprogramming of our synthskin,” Markus smiled while casting his eyes up to the ceiling. “I’m glad to see that the roof is coming along nicely. How has the installation been?”

“Fine, so long as North hasn’t been trying to bust my balls,” Sixty stated while rolling his eyes. “She’s harping on about getting all this done by the end of the day but we’ve got a few other things we need to get done sooner, we’re a little short-handed right now with the march going on through downtown Detroit today.”

Markus nodded in understanding. Every month the androids staged a march to keep the focus on progress towards their rights, and those days saw a lot of those who attended and volunteered as **_Symphony_ **disappear. The android leader pointed towards another harness hanging off a bench near the edge of the lake with a small smile. “Why don’t I jump in and help out too? I’m sure you all could do with another pair of hands – and it’ll save me from North’s anger from distracting people,” he added with a nervous look.

Hank snorted, amused. “I’ll save you guys her wrath and keep her busy,” he stated with a put upon sigh. “Anyone want to give me some advice on how to not get shot by pissing her off.”

“You can’t avoid pissing her off,” Connor and Sixty said in concert, which had the pair sharing a startled look before Sixty went on awkwardly. “Maybe be less of an asshole to her than you are generally? That would help?”

Before Connor could scowl at Sixty in annoyance, Hank barked in laughter. “Now where’s the fun in that? Half the fun of life is tempting it and seeing what it’s going to try and get you in the ass with. All right, I’ll find Her Royal Bitchiness. Try not to break the ceiling, yeah?”

As Hank wandered away, Connor and Sixty stared after him for a moment before Nines smirked at them and winked. “Fancy a little bet on what she uses as a weapon to threaten him with first?” he teased.

“No fun when I know she’s got a shuriken star on hand for exactly that reason,” Sixty shrugged. “I’m gonna say that.”

Connor looked between them in horror before remembering that as much as North barked, she and Sixty were very alike. You **really** had to get on their bad side before they decided to even contemplate biting, despite a baring or two of teeth. “I’m going with a letter opener,” Connor decided, to which Nines shook his head. 

“You’re both being too grand and boring. Paper clip: silent and unassuming,” Nines declared, but Connor then caught the expression on his face. 

“Hey! No cheating and giving her ideas!” Connor protested.

Sixty then rounded on Nines and glared at him playfully. “…Connor, fancy seeing if we can get this overhyped and so called ‘upgrade’ of ours in the pond?”

Which was how much of **_Symphony_ **ended up watching the latest 3 RK models having a wrestling match in the middle of the hall, with Markus sniggering away from his place on the roof. 

Markus wasn’t about to let any of the three of them live down the fact that he’d finished the roof because they were all too busy trying to one up each other.

* * *

It soon became a sort of ritual that everyone would meet and help with the development of **_Symphony_ **on Friday nights, a bonding experience while helping with their ever expanding operation. Some of their numbers had officially left the ‘client’ side of the spectrum and were now helping many of the others that had come after word spread of the group’s purpose, but there was another subconscious barrier that was also being broken.

Humans too came, looking to see a side of androids that made them seem less perfect: and with it accept that they were living beings too.

Sixty was dead against it to start with, North was only a touch more amenable in the fact that she could use humans as target practice (her words), but they eventually agreed to let some humans come so long as another android could vouch for them. As much as they didn’t want to let that bubble expand too far, they reluctantly agreed that it was an important step in how the world would come to find a middle ground.

Connor wasn’t exactly keen to be made the poster boy for that side of **_Symphony_ **but his infamy actually helped with building bridges between the humans and androids. As someone who existed between both species and had people he cared for passionately on either side, he was an example of how it could work. 

It was a couple of months after the centre had expanded again that Sixty turned up to the complex one night sullenly, carrying a back of items behind him with a colossal scowl on his face. Nines and Connor were sitting and fishing in the pond when they spied him enter with the meagre bag and realised something was very wrong. They carefully stored the rods away and followed Sixty through to the office in the back, waiting until he'd thrown the duffel bag away in disgust and let out a frustrated huff before they spoke up.

“Sixty?” The other RK800 turned at Connor’s worried question and they saw how Sixty’s eyes were lined with unshed tears. “What’s happened, are you okay?” Connor asked while both he and Nines came closer, placing reassuring hands on the other android’s shoulders.

“I-” Sixty took a moment to compose himself before slumping in defeat. “Someone broke into my apartment and stole almost everything I had of value. This big is all that’s left of what I owned.”

Connor and Nines shared a look of horror and couldn’t help to glance over so they could scan the contents of the bag. Some clothes, a few photographs, a couple of ornaments which were now in pieces…and a rabbit in a small carry case that they could see was next to the desk, which explained why the bag had looked pretty full when they saw Sixty before, but now was almost empty.

“What about your landlord, did they not offer to put you up somewhere in the meantime while the police investigate?” Nines asked darkly. Sixty sneered in disgust before looking away. 

“Like hell he did– told me that I attract too much trouble and to take it somewhere else. Basically stared and watched as I took what I could before bringing it all here. I doubt he’ll even call the cops and I can imagine he’s cleaned it out already. He’s been trying to kick me out for months, it’s not the greatest of places. To be honest the office here is probably going to be just as comfy a place for me as any,” Sixty told them bitterly. “It’s fine, I much prefer being here anyway.”

Horrified, Connor and Nines’ faces hardened at exactly the same time and they sprang into action. Nines set Sixty down in the office chair while Connor fetched the rabbit from her cage: even all these months after becoming friendlier with Sixty, he hadn’t known the other RK800 owned a rabbit. They were simultaneously making calls to different sources in the DPD and setting things into motion.

While that was going on in their minds, Connor brought the brown rabbit over to Sixty and set her down in the other android’s lap. Sixty smiled once he got his hands into her fur and Connor was relieved to see the slightly bright expression. “What’s her name?” Connor wondered while stretching out a hand, waiting until Sixty nodded before finally reaching down and stroking an ear. “Oh! She’s so soft…”

Sixty’s smile grew a little more and he focused on the rabbit in his arms for a moment before answering. “Her name’s Ariadne.”

“After the Greek goddess of mazes?” Nines posited.

“Yeah, she likes to hide in every little nook and cranny, feels like I’m getting lost in a maze whenever she squirrels away. She gets scared easily,” Sixty said softly, amazed that Connor was able to pet her without her threatening to bolt. “I’m surprised she likes you, actually. Most people she tries to frantically run away from.:

Connor blushed a little and kept his eyes down while petting the rabbit. “Hank has more often than not commented on my natural affinity with animals, it seems to be yet another thing that we share,” he decided upon, which Sixty had no answer to. It was only after they had been sitting there for a few minutes that Connor decided he should say something again, but it was a daring offer and he wasn’t entirely sure it would be appreciated.

“If you have nowhere to go, you could stay with Hank and I for a while.”

Sixty froze on the spot for a second before turning to Connor with wide eyes, unable to believe what had just been offered. “Wh-Why would you offer **me** a place to stay?” Sixty asked quietly. “We’re not friends, Connor, and I doubt you’re the type to make this offer to just anyone.”

Before Connor could argue in the reverse, Nines rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Honestly, the two of you are as bad as each other…” he sighed. “You are friends by now! Or at the very least you don’t actively dislike each other, even if you aren’t willing to call the other a friend yet. Connor’s someone who will help another out in need if it’s required, but he’s also a private person. He wouldn’t offer his home to anyone who is looking for a place to stay – for once, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Sixty, and ruin something because you’re paranoid of an ulterior motive. This is Connor we’re talking about…and I think he’s borderline naïve for giving people chances, look at Gavin after all,” Nines finished with a smirk, which had the other two RK’s snorting for a moment.

“Can we poke fun at my forgiving heart later?” Connor asked through a blush before turning his attention back to Sixty. “Nines is right though, Sixty. We’re maybe not friends but you’re not just a random acquaintance either. I don’t want to see you sleeping here when Hank and I have the room since we moved last month. If it makes you feel better, Nines is going to be staying with us too for a couple of months since he’s looking for another apartment.”

“What happened to your place?” Sixty asked Nines abruptly. “Thought you liked it?”

Nines gave them a sad smile. “I did, but the landlord has changed and my new one is not as enamoured with having an ‘plastic pig’ as a tenant, so my lease was not renewed.” His expression then brightened a little. “It’s not a problem, I’m looking forward to scoping out other living arrangements now that I know what I desire in accommodation more, but I’m also looking forward to staying with others. I sometimes find living on my own rather…isolating. This will be a very different experience.”

They could both see Sixty contemplating it for a minute before Connor got another message through on his HUD, one that had him smiling a little broader. “Hank’s just extended the same offer if it makes you feel any better – and he’s already got a few people on board to help find out what happened. We’ll catch those responsible, don’t worry.”

Sixty was dumbfounded and overwhelmed at the same time. He felt he couldn’t vocalise his gratitude and instead reached out a hand in the offer of an interface. It ended with all three of them overlapping on Ariadne’s back, the rabbit sitting there and enjoying the warmth as the three of them connected. 

It was almost ten minutes later that they finally split apart only so that they could get Sixty geared up and ready to move.

* * *

“God fucking dammit, Sixty! Stop your stupid ass rabbit from pooping in my damn slippers!”

“Then you should maybe spray them so that they don’t smell like shit!”

“You **bastard!** My feet don’t smell that bad!”

“Loki begs to differ!”

On the sofa in the living room, Connor and Nines were sharing looks of intense amusement between them as they continued with their activities, listening to Sixty and Hank bawl at each other from across the house. This was a daily occurrence by now, something that both of them adored and thrived on, despite early concerns. It turned out that their dynamic was similar to the one that Sixty shared with North and the feistiness was a great outlet for Sixty. Once it was established that the two of them actually enjoyed the bickering, Connor and Nines were quite happy to sit back and listen to them barking at each other.

Even their other animals were so used to it now that none of them battered an eyelash – a year of shouting matches would do that. Plus the animals could sense there was no venomous intent behind each barb, so they didn’t react.

Except for one: one that Connor rolled his eyes at when he heard the distinctive whine and looked down to see Sumo whimpering dramatically.

“You know it’s all playful, you’re just being a big baby and looking for attention,” Conor sighed while picking Sumo up, the St Bernard’s tail thumping happily off the back of Nines’ book once he was settled. 

The RK900 raised an eyebrow at the behaviour and shifted a couple of inches to stop the racket…only for Sumo to shuffle along and resume the beat a second later. Nines sighed and closed his book so that the dog’s tail could continue to thunder off the cover. “Clearly we are to be getting no peace in this house today,” Nines lamented as a jingle resounded from him, signalling another arrival.

“You say that as if it’s something new with five animals,” Connor smiled while seeing their cat, Whisper, butt heads with Nines in her signature beg for pets. As a cat who refused to meow, it was her primary method of communication. She soon had her wish and settled down on Nines’ shoulder to enjoy the attention, purr echoing quietly through the living room.

They sat there with their company for a few more minutes before Sixty appeared with a wide grin and waved at the other two cheekily. “Looks like you two are busy,” he drawled while grabbing a bottle of thirium out from the fridge. 

“As busy as you and Hank were with your verbal sparring,” Connor shot back. “Did Loki really use Hank’s slippers as a toilet?”

Sixty beamed. “Course he did: Hank’s not to know that I shifted them inside his cage as an added incentive.”

“You’re disgusting,” Nines declared while scrunching his nose while Connor laughed. “You can enjoy washing those while we’re all at the precinct. How busy are you looking today?”

“Not too bad, I’ll be down at the centre for an hour or two to check in with North before grabbing stuff for tonight. You three sure you’ll get off in time for the booking?” Sixty asked while placing another bottle of thirium from a cupboard in the microwave to heat it up, preparing a thermos for taking it out with him. 

“We’ll be there,” Connor assured before spying that Sixty was nervous. “What’s up? You’re practically vibrating on the spot.”

The other RK800 stared at Connor in shock. “How do you **do** that?” he hissed for a moment before going back to preparing his drinks. “Yeah, I’ve got a meeting after dropping into **_Symphony_ **that I’m looking forward to. Hopefully it should go well.”

Connor stared at Sixty suspiciously, missing Nines’ knowing smirk, but the younger 800 model refused to say anything more before throwing all of his supplies into the backpack by the edge of the kitchen and smiling as he wandered towards the door. “All three of the monsters have been fed so if Loki or Anubis stay begging for food they’re trying to con you. Those two are overweight so they’re going on a diet, don’t overfeed them! I’m looking at you, Con,” he stared casually, Connor blinking innocently.

“Who, me? I wouldn’t dare give your pets too much food when you weren’t looking…” Connor chimed, snickering when Sixty grabbed a shoe from the door and hurled it at him. “Okay, I won’t. If they start pooping everywhere in protest though, you’re the one cleaning it all up before tonight.”

“Fine, fine. Catch you guys tonight!” 

Sixty left quickly, Connor and Nines sharing conspiratorial glances before managing to ease themselves out from under their respective animals to start setting things into motion. All three of them were due to be at the precinct until their little celebration at home that night, so they had to get things ready now for when Sixty came back. They were just getting ready while pulling out a dessert made up from thirium jelly when Hank emerged with two disgruntled rabbits under his arms.

“Please get these damn poop factories back in the cages, I need to fumigate my whole damn bedroom and they won’t stop trying to become candidates for squashed rabbit stew,” he grumbled before going back to the hallway. “Did he suspect anything?” Hank shouted as he walked away.

“No, he’s clueless!” Nines called in reply as he took the rabbits and Connor made sure to get all of the food ready to go in the fridge, while mixing everything for thirium cocktails and leaving it to chill. The pair were smiling as they got everything together and prepped for the event that night.

It was a year since all of them had moved in together, and with it they’d completely redefined their relationships.

The four of them found that they were actually great companions under the same roof. Despite initial misgivings about friction between himself and Hank plus Connor, Sixty soon realised that they were very easy company. Once it was established that he pretty much had total freedom to do whatever he wished with two very important rules – don’t be a malicious shit and you hurt the animals, you’re dead – he found the new people in his life actually helped Sixty experience more.

With it Connor’s own unease had unravelled as he at last realised something very important: he and Sixty were very different people despite being from the same model series. 

And that was **okay.**

For so long the two of them had been comparing themselves to the other that it blinded them to the fact they should be individual. Whether it was a hangover from Connor’s memories being downloaded into Sixty and thus feeling like copycats, or it was just that they were equally as lost once having woken up, they’d become entirely fixated on each other to a degree.

Seeing the other in a ‘home’ scenario rapidly removed any remaining disillusions about the other.

Connor got to see some more of Sixty’s infamous processor slips and he found it hilarious that Sixty was even more klutzy after emerging from stasis: almost as if he was waking up like a human who didn’t do mornings. Conversely Sixty got to see just how bad Connor was at cooking and cleaning despite the multitude of programs out there. Sixty had no idea how Connor could mess up dusting or hoovering but after hearing some of the mishaps (such as vacuuming the old fashioned magazines or dusting inside an oven), he realised that it was very much a flaw of his ‘more perfect’ series companion.

Nines was great at bringing out some of their insecurities and gently driving them to talk, and with it the walls slowly came tumbling down. 

Not that Sixty was exactly the greatest at conveying his emotions, but there was distance fondness in his eyes that was unmistakable. That was enough for the others.

A year on and they were celebrating the day they all moved in together despite plans for it to only be temporary, preparing for whatever was coming next.

Hank re-emerged from the bedroom ready for work and saw the androids tending to the rest of their animals before smiling at them. “You two good to go?”

“Almost, Hank. We need to grab Sixty’s present and leave it somewhere for him,” Nines stated while opening up the storage compartment under the sofa.

“I thought you guys agreed not to do presents?” Hank wondered, curious as Nines pulled out a medium sized box and set it on the table. 

“We did, but this was an exception we felt was worth it,” Connor smiled from the side. When Nines had first suggested the contents he’d been one hundred percent behind it, wanting to show Sixty all that he’d achieved since becoming deviant.

The reaction that night was well worth it. That was the first time any of them had seen Sixty cry out of joy.

Sixty’s eyes welled up after finding the tablet compiled with photos, videos and thoughts of those that were part of **_Symphony_ **from its inception to now. It showed the progression of the building from where it was a run-down shell with a greenhouse centre, to the sprawling focal point of Detroit that it was now. With androids now fully recognised as sentient and with almost complete rights, the work of the group had been heavily publicised by Markus. It gave them almost overnight fame, and with it allowed all of their operations to expand beyond anything they’d imagined.

It ended up becoming so famous that Jericho actually moved their headquarters to be part of the same complex, making it an android hotspot in Detroit. While that had good and bad points, it meant that **_Symphony_ **was never short of people: be it tourists, visitors or clients.

There was so much data on the tablet that it was actually stored on an external cloud source and Sixty had to download it a piece at a time. It would take months for him to go through all of the messages left to the group, though there were some more personal ones to Sixty himself.

He was so emotional that he almost chickened out of giving back what he’d been covertly organising for weeks – but Connor and Nines’ expressions were worth it. They’d talked for so long about Nines and Connor getting tattoos similar to Sixty, they’d even planned designs and talked through when to do it.

Sixty passed each of them a data drive and before they knew it, Nines and Connor also had tattoos on their body. Unlike Sixty, however, theirs were not located on their arms like a sleeve. Nines’ tattoo was a pair of angel wings on the back of his neck that grew out to just below his ears, and they subtly shifted colour from a pale blue, to yellow, to a dark pink and back. He was so stunned that Nines was lost for words, for once. Instead all he could do was hug Sixty in gratitude.

Connor’s was much more subtle than either of Nines or Sixty, but it was just as meaningful to him. It was two chains which went around his wrist almost like bracelets in a pure white, but on each chain were charms that symbolised significant moments of his life. Among the ones that Sixty had programmed were a dwarf gourami from Connor’s very first mission, to a bonsai tree for Hank, a St Bernard dog for Sumo and a shield for his position as a detective at the DPD. 

As soon as he figured out the base code, however, Connor changed it up and added two extra charms, one to each wrist. On one was a calligraphic ‘9’ in matching colours to Nines’ tattoo while on the other was a sturdy but elegant, ‘6’ in the same shade as Sixty’s tattoo. Nines gave him a knowing smile though he was deeply moved while Sixty was dumbfounded.

“Of course I’m adding you both, I’m keeping my whole family on these chains. Everything I love is here, why would I not have you both?”

Neither of them knew what to say to that but when Hank gathered the trio for a photo, there were definite tears in all of their eyes.

Despite whatever flaws they all possessed, they’d finally found a sense of belonging and family.

They were home.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that adventure!
> 
> Please show support for the artists, they did so much hard work!
> 
> I'll see you all next time!


End file.
